College welcomes new faculty in key areas.

Cornell has quickened the pace in hiring new faculty, aiming to bring on board up to 100 professors by the university's sesquicentennial in 2015.

Contributing to this initiative, the College of Human Ecology is attracting new faculty to work on such major cross college collaborations as neuroscience, human development, and psychology; health behaviors, health economics, and disparities; and demography. Ten new scholars have joined the college this year.

Dean Alan Mathios said he was very pleased that such a diverse and talented group of scholars is joining the college's faculty. "They have very impressive credentials and will strengthen the college's teaching, research, and outreach in key multidisciplinary areas. I expect this group to have a profound impact on the future of the college," he said.

The fall 2011 issue of Human Ecology introduced five of the 10 new faculty hires; here follows details on the other five.

Damon Clark, assistant professor, policy analysis and management

Academic focus: economics of education, labor economics, public economics

Previous positions: visiting assistant professor, economics, Princeton University, 2009-2011; assistant professor, economics, University of Florida, 2005-2011

Academic background: B.A., economics, Newcastle University, 1994; M.Phil., economics, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, 1997; D.Phil., economics, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, 2002

I chose Human Ecology: because it fits extremely well with my research interests.

www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=dc738

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Maria Fitzpatrick, assistant professor, policy analysis and management

Academic focus: economics of education, labor economics, public economics

Previous position: Searle Freedom Trust postdoctoral fellow, Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University, 2008-2011

Academic background: B.A., economics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000; M.A., economics, University of Virginia, 2004; Ph.D., economics, University of Virginia, 2008

I chose Human Ecology: because of its interdisciplinary focus on policy analysis. I enjoy working with people from different perspectives and from other disciplines to determine effective and efficient public policies.

www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=mdf98

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Tasha Lewis, assistant professor, fiber science and apparel design

Academic focus: technology and innovation in the apparel industry, including 3-D body scanning and mass customization; sustainability and fashion

Previous position: assistant professor, School of Fashion, Ryerson University, 2009-2011

Academic background: B.A., Spanish, Ohio State University, 1995; M.S., consumer and textile science, Ohio State University, 2000; Ph.D., apparel design, Cornell, 2009

I chose Human Ecology: because I am a graduate of the college and greatly appreciate its emphasis on improving the human experience.

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Nathan Spreng, assistant professor, human development

Academic focus: large-scale brain network dynamics, their role in cognition, and lifespan developmental changes

Previous positions: postdoctoral fellow, Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Toronto, 2008; postdoctoral fellow, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 2008-2012

Academic background: B.A., Sarah Lawrence College, 2000; M.A., psychology, brain, and behavior, University of Toronto, 2003; Ph.D., cognitive neuroscience, psychology, University of Toronto, 2008

I chose Human Ecology: because of the diversity of faculty interests and the commitment to an exciting future in human neuroscience research.

www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=rns74

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Felix Thoemmes, assistant professor, human development

Academic focus: quantitative methods in social sciences

Previous positions: visiting professor, College of Education, Center for Empirical Educational Research and Educational Psychology, University of Tubingen, Germany, 2010-2012; visiting professor, psychology, University of Jena, Germany, 2010; assistant professor, College of Education and Human Development, Research, Measurement and Statistics, Texas A&M University, 2009-2010

Academic background: Pre-diploma, psychology, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany, 2002; M.A., experimental psychology, Indiana State University, 2005; Ph.D., quantitative psychology, Arizona State University, 2009

I chose Human Ecology: because I had a strong sense that Cornell faculty place an enormous value on high-quality scholarly work. This appreciation is reflected in their own work as well, which is done with outstanding scientific rigor. The keen interest and thoughtful questioning of my own work made me realize that this is a place where I will have wonderful colleagues to learn from and to collaborate with.

www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=fjt36

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